Today started out on a sad note as we bid farewell to our friends the Tjemslands. Thank you Kristian, Leah, Matias, Oskar and little Simon for such a wonderful couple of days!! After days of driving on little tiny “B” roads or country lanes that were simply called “road,” it was a nice change to head north on the M6, a major highway. Once we drove out of Glasgow, we were now in Loch country. Riding along the edge of Loch Lommond and Trossachs National Park gave us some of the most spectacular views of the trip so far. Really. It was unlike anything we’ve ever seen. It is hard to believe that the mountains in Snowdonia or the Yorkshire Dales are completely different than the craggy peaks here. When I think of the Scottish Highlands this is exactly how I pictured them, not many trees, huge moss covered rocks, yellow shrubs and steep inclines that start right at the edge of the Loch. Very majestic.

We had to wind our way around several Lochs to get into Inveraray. You may not have heard of Inveraray, we hadn’t either until we watched Season 3 of Downton Abbey. The producers filmed 2 episodes at Inveraray Castle, which they called DunEagle. Heather and I were curious about the castle, so we looked it up. Not only is this a beautiful castle, but it is the home of the Duke of Argyll, who is the head of the Clan Campbell! When we caught our first glimpse of Inveraray Castle as we approached the town we almost ran off the road. Heather screamed and I slammed on the brakes. Fortunately, there was a place to pull over so we could have our freak out moment in safety. Heather had been feeling overwhelmed with emotion as we drove through the mountains. This is the land of her husband and children’s heritage and she felt a strong connection to it.

Out first stop was lunch at the Brambles Bistro. Stuart and Victoria have created a lovely atmosphere and even tastier food. After our quick lunch, we walked over to the Bell Tower to meet John Patrick. John is member of the Image Inveraray Group. He has been amazingly helpful, without his help we could not have done this episode here. He knows everyone in town and pointed us in the right direction for our lodging, food and activities. We also learned today that he was an extra in the Season 3 Christmas special of Downton Abbey. How cool is that!

The Bell Tower was built by the 10th Duke of Argyll as a memorial to the fallen Campbells of World War 1. There are 10 GIANT bells which can be seen by walking up 176 stairs. Yes, we got some good exercise in today. John introduced us to a distinguished Scottish gentleman named Niall, who was dressed in full Scottish garb. He gave us a detailed history of the area as well as the tower. He also threw in a few language lessons as well. The view from the very top of the tower is unreal, you can literally see for miles.

Our next stop was the infamous Inveraray jail. This jail was THE jail for the entire county of Argyll and Bute. Even at its largest it only had 20 cells, so only criminals with sentences under 14 days stayed there. The rest were sent to Glasgow or Australia! The actors who portray the Matron, Warder, and Prisoners are awesome. This is a living history museum so they each have a character and invite you to become a part of the experience. That experience includes a brief time locked up in the outside jail room that the prisoners used for there 1 hour daily exercise. It is a bit disconcerting when the warder shuts the iron door, locks it and tells you he’ll be back in a hour to let you out.

After I escaped from the jail, we walked over to the George Hotel. Did I mention this is a small town? There is literally one road through the middle and everything is pretty much on that road. This made filming easy. Each place was within walking distance to the other. Not to mention that the weather was outstanding.

The George Hotel has been in the same family for 7 generations. Each room is decorated uniquely. Our room has curtains and window seat cushions made from the Campbell tartan as well as windows with shutters that face the road. The thick oak floors creak when you walk on them and there is a huge wardrobe and coal fireplace as well. The beds have beautiful fluffy white duvets and pillows, so that promise a cozy night’s sleep. The 10 foot ceilings add to spacious feel of the room. We enjoyed our afternoon tea and shortbread sitting on the window seats with the breeze blowing through the open windows.

Inveraray is located on Loch Fyne. This is a salt water lake perfect for raising shellfish, like oysters, mussels and langoustines. Dinner was booked at the Loch Fyne Oyster Bar and Restaurant, 8 miles north of Inveraray. This was going to prove to be quite the experience for Heather, so I will have her take from here. We met Richard, who welcomed us warmly, and told us a bit about the history of Loch Fyne Oysters and the restaurant. He introduced to Martin, the chef, who was determined to get me to eat and enjoy a raw oyster. He showed me how to shuck the oysters, then handed me the knife!! Yikes! But he was a fantastic teacher, and I was able to get one shucked on the first try. The next hurdle was to eat one. I am NOT a fan of seafood in general, especially when it is raw! He brought a platter of oysters on the halfshell on ice to the table. Courtney’s mouth was watering. Martin put on a drop of green tabasco and some lemon juice, and then handed it to me. I did it! And it was AMAZING! It was so fresh-tasting, and not fishy at all. To everyone’s surprise, including my own, I ate 3 more! The best way I can describe it is that it tastes like the sea – fresh and clean and airy. Not fishy. Just like the sea. Knowing that they had come out of the loch we had a view of from our table made the experience all the more special. We ordered dinners – Courtney had salmon, Nikolas had mussels (how French of her!) and I had half a grilled lobster. The evening at Loch Fyne was amazing. Their hospitality, the ambiance, and the food were all exceptional. Thank you Richard, Martin, and staff for making this a very memorable night.

What a wonderful day we had our first day in Scotland. So much heritage here for me, so many beautiful vistas, and such warm, welcoming people, proud of their homeland and so eager to share it with us.

Enjoying the journey in Argyll-

Courtney and Heather